From small poetry zines to online international journals, literature magazines have never been more popular. But why do we like reading them? Do magazines chime with our difficult times – or are they part of a longer tradition that keeps the creative spirit burning?

A Waterstones event in association with Unbound Publishers and Speaking Volumes Live Literature Productions

John Mitchinson (chair) is one of the three co-founders of Unbound and one of the original writers for QI, responsible with John Lloyd for 10 of the QI books. He has previously been MD of Cassell & Co and of Harvill Press and was Waterstone’s first marketing director. John is the co-host of Unbound’s popular books podcast, Backlisted.

Max Liu is a literary critic and is a writer for Boundless. He grew up in St Ives, Cornwall, completed an MA in Creative Writing at Manchester University and then worked as a news reporter, as a sports editor and, finally, as a freelance arts journalist. His articles have appeared in The Independent, The Guardian, The New Statesman and elsewhere.

Karen McCarthy Woolf is a writer, editor and critic whose debut poetry collection An Aviary of Small Birds was a Guardian/Observer Book of the Year. Her work appears in various literary journals and is translated into Swedish, Turkish and Spanish. She has guest-edited Magma and is on the Board of Poetry London. Her latest collection is Seasonal Disturbances.

Tim Wells is founding editor of poetry magazine Rising. He has been a guest poet on Radio London and writer in residence with Tighten Up, the east London reggae sound system. Boys’ Night Out in the Afternoon (2006) was shortlisted for the Forward Poetry Prize for Best First Collection. Everything Crash came out in 2015 and Heavy Manners is his next book. English poet Tim Wells is the founding editor of the poetry magazine Rising. He has performed his work widely and has worked as a guest poet on Radio London and as writer in residence with Tighten Up, the East London reggae sound system. His recent books include Keep the Faith (Blackheath Books, 2013), Rougher Yet (Donut Press, 2009), and Boys’ Night Out in the Afternoon (Donut Press, 2006), which was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. He lives in London.

Speaking Volumes

Speaking Volumes Live Literature Productions takes international writers from the page to the stage. Utilising our wide knowledge and experience, we curate and manage events across the UK to bring both unknown and established writers to live audiences.